


Someone to Count On

by Milionking



Series: Feels Like the First Time [2]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Divorce, Gen, Getting Together, Healthy Coping Mechanisms, POV First Person, Player's Tribune, Retirement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-28 22:44:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16732062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milionking/pseuds/Milionking
Summary: Brent's Player's Tribune article leading to myBlackhawk's Big Fic Energylarger fic.Brent retires from hockey, finds a surprise when he gets home after announcing it.





	Someone to Count On

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, there really is a long fic related to parts one and two of the series. The posting date is December 22, I think.

 

They tell you that retirement from the NHL is rather bittersweet, your body is no longer able to take the beating of the season, but your heart is still in the sport.  I retired from playing hockey and was offered a job to coach in Winnipeg.  For me, I still have the sport I love in a less taxing on the body role.

Bittersweet, for me, was coming home from my retirement press conference to find a process server in my front lawn and the house half empty.  I immediately went in the house texted Duncs and sat on the kitchen floor feeling empty.  I was really lucky that my kids were still with my parents when it happened.

It was nice that day to have someone who had been where I was for support.  Duncs was there for me that day just like I was there for him.  He was there for me through the whole thing, actually.  The initial shock, going through the process, and then the healing afterward.  Whenever you struggle through life, you find out who your true friends are.

After my divorce was final, I took off to Manitoba to heal mentally and physically and there was Duncs again to guide my hand.  I found out later on that other people were there for me too, but Duncs was first because we had a long history.

My advice when you face adversity is to first find your support structure because without them challenges feel insurmountable.  This may be an attorney if the problem is legal, a therapist if the problem is mental, a doctor if the problem is medical, or a friend if the problem is personal.  This structure may be one or more of the people I mentioned above but identify who you need and build the scaffolding you need to come out on top later.

My second piece of advice is to find a time to decompress after the challenge whether it’s a Stanley Cup-winning playoff or divorce after the stress is gone your body needs time to recover.  It might be a spa day, a vacation, or finding a new place to call home.  If you don’t decompress then you start to move to coping mechanisms, and most of them are not healthy.

My last piece of advice is probably the most important of all, don’t ignore the obvious when it is staring you in the face.  In hindsight, I could have saved me and Duncs from a lot of pining if we had known what each other really wanted.  Duncan was there for me because he loved me more than just as a friend.  It took a divorce for reality to slap me in the face.  I’m glad my best friend is there for me all the time now, I love him most of all. Just don't tell my kids that

-Brent Seabrook, _Contributor_


End file.
